At least 22 Palestinians have been killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes in northern and central Gaza, Hamas medical and civil defense officials said.
They said five sites had been affected, including residential homes. According to local sources, a senior Hamas commander was among the dead.
The Israeli military said it had struck targets in Gaza in response to an incident earlier on Saturday, when it said an “armed terrorist” had fired on soldiers after crossing the Strip’s so-called “yellow line” that designates areas under full Israeli control. Hamas denied it.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement agreed upon six weeks ago.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 310 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire came into effect.
The territory’s civil defense said Saturday’s strikes by Israel targeted Gaza City in the north, as well as Deir al-Balah and the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.
Hamas officials said five people had been killed at the Abbas crossing in the densely populated Rimal area of Gaza City. Witnesses said an Israeli strike set a car on fire.
Additionally, three people were killed near a mosque in Deir al-Balah, officials said.
Two houses were hit by Israeli strikes in Nuseirat, they added, and three died after the Abu Amouneh family home was attacked. Another seven people were killed in another attack targeting the Abu Shawish family home.
Three more people were killed later Saturday when a house in western Gaza City was hit, authorities said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a later statement: “Today, Hamas again violated the ceasefire, sending a terrorist into Israeli-controlled territory to attack IDF soldiers. In response, Israel eliminated five high-ranking Hamas terrorists.”
The statement also called on mediators to “insist that Hamas fulfill its part of the ceasefire.”
After the attacks, Hamas said the army’s advance of the yellow line westward and continued shelling of eastern Gaza amounted to a “flagrant violation” of the agreement.
The group called on mediators and the United States to urgently intervene, warning that Israel was attempting to impose “new facts on the ground” and undermine the ceasefire.
The Israeli military launched an offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.
Since then, at least 69,500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, including 280 during the ceasefire, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
